wow.

What a week.

Ok, first of all, for you MC people, imagine the boys team like this -
Sam = Dylan McLemore (amazingly great radio voice, history major, great storyteller)
Daniel = Jake Cole (no words)
Kyle = Kevin LaFoosh. Yes. PLUS hilariousness.
So obviously, that is fun.
The girls are also INCREDIBLE - no MC look-alikes, but they´re great!
Also, MC folks, new game - HUMANS vs. ZOMBIES - from what I can tell, it´s the equivalent of the most epic Nerf war ever with arm or head bands to distinguish humans from zombies. And this should definitely happen as soon as August comes around.

Now, for the rest of you who may or may not have any idea what I´ve been talking about, ministry here has been INCREDIBLE. Our God is so faithful.
Saturday the guys arrived - in Caraz - a twenty minute drive away. So they had to catch a taxi. But when they FINALLY got here, we stayed in the kitchen forever (reminiscent of London) talking about their adventures all over Peru.
Sunday, we wore sunglasses to church in celebration of Sunglasses Day of course and welcomed the TONS of kids who came to meet the gringos. Great day. Watched Argentina beat Mexico in the World Cup - which meant Joel had to do the dishes. Fun times. The girls arrived around 4 p.m. and then we went back to church for prayer service and an AMAZING message about Abraham sacrificing Isaac. God has been changing my plans all summer, and there´s so much more to tell...
Monday we all had devotion together over splendid panqueques and then loaded up and headed to Mancos to pass out advertisement-y things for the new class there - met SO MANY KIDS - and got to ride in a tinted windowed truck with a bunch of Peruvians... and me. the gringa. wonderful. especially because one of the Peruvians was Alice Alegre - the most wonderful Peruvian lady over 50 - I´m convinced. She is also sending me home with seeds to plant the amazing yellow pepper that is in EVERYTHING YUMMY here. So I love her a lot. a lot a lot.
Anyway, Monday night we all rode a taxi up to Mancos (yes, all of us in ONE taxi. that´s Hilda, Noemi, me, Krista, Alexis, Kyle, Sam, and Daniel...in one taxi.), had Bible study under the most breathtaking stars in the world, and walked back down the mountain, slipping only a few times. I´ve gotten quite good at catching myself before I fall. It´s pretty great.
Tuesday, we had class - good times! Fewer kids, but they were our faithful ones - and we taught about Abraham and God´s promises to Him (with ACTING from our new friends - completely hilarious) and the kids really got it! We sang Father Abraham complete with motions, which is much more difficult in Spanish when you have to fit MANO DERECHO where you usually say RIGHT HAND. Yeah. SEEEEEVVVVEEEERRRAAAALLL more syllables there.
Yesterday, first class in Mancos. THIRTY-FOUR KIDS. Not even kidding. It was CRAZY WONDERFUL. God drew them in. We acted out the seven days of creation and taught how to say MY NAME IS and such things... Good times. Church last night was great - prayer time! And Hilda´s sister Maria is here now as a missionary for two years, and she and I can be friends. She has a HUGE heart for India and is praying for God´s timing to send her there. She just has to become fluent in English first. So. We´re going to work on that. How GREAT is it that God has me HERE this summer - not in India as I had planned - and I MEET a kindred spirit who has the same passion and desire for the people there... our God is so good.
Anyway, today we have class again at 4 and then Friday class in Mancos. So keep praying, friends! We are witnessing the fruit of your prayers!
It is also so incredibly good to have a bigger team here! Kyle has been playing soccer with the kids outside our hotel and I got the chance to talk with a five-year-old little girl too while the boys were playing, and it´s just GOOD. Spanish fluency is coming bit by bit. And God´s Spirit is providing words. Keep up the prayers!
I love you all! Can´t wait to share more soon! (And I´m definitely cooking Peruvian food once I get home... but maybe after a few weeks. I´m pretty sure I´ll never need to eat more rice. Ever.)
Until the whole world hears...